Branching Path
by AnimeFanatic223
Summary: What if Lucy never discovered Sandy's letter back in 'Unfulfilled Fantasy? When Mike and Lucy are given a moment alone, will friendship turn into something else? A oneshot 'What if' story. MikeXLucy


It had been a few days since the field day and the 8th grade prom was right around the corner, which had been weighing on Mike's mind for a while now. He kept himself steady as he limped alongside Lucy, having broken his leg during the race on field day. The young Korat knew Lucy wasn't going to the dance, but… what if she changed her mind? Even if parties weren't her thing, would she still go if he asked her?

"What're you looking at, jerkface?" Lucy asked, giving him a puzzled, yet annoyed expression. Mike hadn't realized he had been staring at her this whole time but quickly looked away upon hearing the Khao Manee's inquiry.

"N-Nothing!" he stammered, feeling embarrassed.

"Whatever," Lucy sighed, brushing it off as Mike being Mike before changing the subject to his leg. "So… how's that leg of yours?"

Glad for the change of subject, Mike smiled, "Just fine!"

"Whoever hurt boy kitty was a big meanie!" Chirpy exclaimed, walking right behind the two with her 'mother' Yashy right beside her.

Yashy just placed her round 'hands' right behind her head as she told the pink baby bird, "Were you even there? It was _hilarious!_ He did some great cartwheels…" Mike rolled his eyes as that statement, trying to focus on not putting pressure on his injured foot. He had been hopping along for quite some time while trying to balance on his walking stick. It wasn't enough to distract him from the pain but at least he was trying to reduce further injury.

Lucy noticed this and raised an eyebrow at the Korat. "You're being pretty brave. Doesn't hopping hurt?" She seemed curious with some hint of concern, but it was barely noticeable underneath her attitude. Mike shook his head as he continued to hop on his good foot.

"Nah!" Mike then hopped further, almost looking like he was flying. "It's actually kind of fun! Wheee!"

"Not unless I do this!" Yashy exclaimed as she forcefully clung to Mike's cast. The Korat cringed and immediately collapsed, trying to shake the green Yoshi-like creature off his leg, painfully screaming 'Get her off me!' over and over. Lucy sighed as she watched, almost taking pity on Mike.

"Yashy…" the Khao Manee muttered.

It wasn't long before Yashy finally let go, laughing her head off at Mike's misery. Chirpy wasn't pleased at her mommy's actions and chided at her. And Mike just sat there on the ground, not moving as the pain in his leg throbbed. "That… really hurt." he moaned. "Wow…"

Lucy looked at Mike, feeling bad that Yashy hurt him and said, "We're near your house anyway so you can rest. I'll pick up your mail, okay?"

"That'd be nice…" Mike said, still in pain as he carefully stood up and leaned on his walking stick. "I rather not… reach out too much or move right now…"

"Yeah, that's fine," said Lucy as she opened Mike's mailbox to get the mail. She was surprised to see the mailbox chalk full of catalogs, letting out a nervous laugh. "Goodness, that's a lot of catalogs! We never get that many…" Lucy carefully put the catalogs under her arm so as not to drop them then turned to Mike, who was steadily recovering. "Feeling better Mike?"

The grey furred teen nodded as he took a deep breath. "Yeah, I think so…" he said. "Thanks for getting the mail for me."

Lucy blushed a little, then glared as she stumbled with her words, "W-Well… it's not 'cuz I _like_ you or anything! Geez…" That was a lie. She had been in love with Mike for years now but never had the courage to admit that to him _or_ herself. So every time she did something nice, Lucy would quickly make up an excuse for herself.

Mike chuckled nervously at her response, blushing himself. He steadied himself on the stick before limping towards the door. Lucy followed him and helped open the door for him. "Just take it easy jerkface," she said as she walked in to put the mail on a nearby table. "That leg isn't gonna heal if you keep hurting it."

"I know," said Mike as he walked in. He could hear the voices of Lily and Blur in the living room, playing a round of Uno. From the sound of it, Lily had just won and Blur was complaining. Yashy and Chirpy immediately got excited and rushed in without asking Lucy if it was okay yet.

The blue-eyed cat girl just shrugged before turning to Mike, "You don't mind, do you?"

"That they stay?" said Mike as he sat down on the couch. "Not unless you plan on leaving."

"Nah," said Lucy, looking around. "I'll stay for a bit." She then sat in the chair opposite the couch.

Lily seemed to notice this and slyly smirked. "Why don't we move this game to the other room, shall we?" The hedgehog then led Blur, Chirpy, and Yashy as they complained, wondering why they couldn't stay in the living room to play. Once they were gone, it left Mike and Lucy all alone.

Lucy sighed heavily, her face a brilliant shade of red, "That Lily… It's not what she thinks…"

Mike shifted uncomfortably at that statement. His face was just as red as the girl before him. He was actually glad for this moment; now he had a chance to talk to Lucy. He cleared his throat to regain some of his composure before speaking. "Sooo… How is everything at home?" Best to start with small talk first.

All Lucy did was shrug, "Same as always. Nothing unusual happening."

"Jordan?"

"Eh, he's doing okay. Still playing basketball and stuff."

"… Sam?" Mike was a little hesitant with mentioning the Khao Manee's eldest brother, considering his past experiences.

"Relax. He's been busy with work and such," said Lucy. "Nothing special." She waved her hand in the air in disinterest.

"Your parents?"

"Mom still works from home and I haven't seen my dad in a while." This seemed to capture the Korat's interest. He had met Lucy's mother, but never her father. How come he wasn't around whenever he came over?

"You know, I don't think I've ever met your dad before," he said. "What exactly does he do?"

Lucy shrugged. "Hell if _I_ know," she said. "I asked my mom that once. Apparently, my dad's a race car driver."

Mike nearly fell over at her response. At first, he didn't believe it. But no words of argument came out of his mouth as he mulled it over in his head. If Lucy's father was _indeed_ a racer, it would explain why he never saw him around the house. He quickly bit his lip, deciding not to argue with it and take her word for it.

"Why all this talk about my family anyway?" Lucy asked, leaning her head against her hand as she propped her elbow on the arm of the chair. "You already know about them."

"Is there something wrong with making conversation?" Mike glanced away a bit.

Lucy shook her head, "No. But you could've picked _any_ other subject other than my family. I mean, come on! You could talk about school or _anything_ really!"

Mike cringed a bit, then took a deep breath. "Okay then… Then, I'd like to ask you something."

This seemed to peak Lucy's interest, "I'm listening."

This was it! Mike was feeling ready to tell her now. "Look, I know you don't plan on going to the prom…"

"You got that right," said Lucy, turning her head to the side in disinterest.

"Hear me out!" Mike exclaimed before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I… I know this sounds like I'm going to ask you out to the dance. But you see…. it's true." His face turned red at that statement. "I've been meaning to ask for a while now. But when you said you weren't going… well… To be honest, I was disappointed. You mean so much to me, Lucy.

"I know I treated you like dirt back when I met Sandy and I'm sorry for that… But after several years, I realized that you really _do_ care about me." Mike smiled a bit at that, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I care about you too. And I always want to be there… I mean, we've always been there for each other and you-" It took him a moment to realize that Lucy hadn't been listening for she hadn't responded or reacted this whole time. "Are not… listening to me. Lucy!"

She didn't respond.

"Lucy!" Mike called out, louder than before. Still no response.

The Korat was starting to get annoyed now and used his walking stick to poke Lucy. "LUCY!"

The Khao Manee felt the poke and glared at Mike, "Ow! What the hell Mike?!"

"You haven't been listening!" Mike shouted accusingly. "Didn't you hear a single word I said to you?"

At first, Lucy was confused but once she registered that he had been talking to her, she frowned and pointed at her left ear. She had been facing the right the whole time Mike had been talking, which meant that her deaf ear was facing him. Mike blushed in embarrassment, having forgotten about her deaf ear. "Ah… right," he said, sweatdropping in embarrassment. He then shook his head, regaining his composure. "Look, the point I'm tying to make is…. Is…"

"Yes?"

Mike gulped hard, blushing like a beet. "I… I…" he stammered as he looked down at the ground, twiddling his thumbs. "I like…. No. I _love_ you Lucy." Mike quickly shut his eyes, expecting the Khao Manee to not believe him or punch him. But when nothing came his way, he slowly opened one of his eyes and looked up. Lucy looked shocked, her face as red as a tomato; one of her hands shakily lifting up to cover her mouth she was so speechless!

A moment of silence passed before Mike decided to break it. "L-Lucy…?" he asked, worried that he might've broken her.

"Are…" Lucy finally stuttered out as she removed her hand from her mouth. "Are you serious…?" She looked unsure and a little scared. It was as if she wasn't expecting Mike to confess to her and she wanted to believe him. But so many fears and insecurities came rushing through her mind that she had no idea if this was real or not. "… W-What about Sandy…?" Of course Lucy couldn't forget about Mike's first love. After all, they looked so happy together back in 3rd grade… at least before Sandy moved away.

"That was when we were kids!" Mike pointed out. "It's been years since we've seen each other…" He sighed heavily at that point. "Besides… I can't keep waiting for her and… I don't want her to wait for me either. I have a life here… and someone I've grown to love over the years."

"But-"

"I can't keep living in the past forever, Lucy. I need to move on and focus on what I have _right now,_ " Mike looked Lucy in the eyes, hoping for some kind of reaction that told him she felt the same way. Said Khao Manee just found herself speechless at what Mike was telling her. He was choosing _her_ over _Sandy?_

She'll admit that this was a moment she had been hoping for such a long time. But Lucy thought she had more time to sort out her own feelings; more time to think of the right moment to confess. Never had she expected _Mike_ to confess to _her!_ Her mouth opened to say something, anything!

Nothing came out. The white furred cat shut her mouth, her bottom lip tensing up as she bit down on it. Lucy looked down a bit, not sure what to do, say, or even how to react! She didn't realize Mike was right in front of her until she finally looked up. The young Korat was kneeling to her eye level, careful not to add weight to his bad leg, and smiled at her.

"I…" Mike started, the blush returning to his face. "I know that you might not want to… But, even if it's not for the prom," He reached out and gently held one of her hands. "Will you… will you….?"

From the awkward way he was handling it, Lucy could tell that Mike was trying to ask her out. They may have hung out as friends and stuck by each other since elementary school. But the thought of them going out, as a couple, intimidated her a little. What if things went wrong? What if they weren't compatible? What if he left her?

What would she do if he _hated_ her?

Lucy took a deep breath to try to regain her composure. Worrying wasn't helping her. And it wouldn't be fair to Mike if she constantly felt this way while they were dating. She'd have to think about it.

"Mike," said Lucy, stopping him from talking as she slowly leaned close to his face. Unlike the last time she did this, it wasn't a rushed kiss on the lips. Instead, Lucy closed her eyes and pecked Mike on the cheek. All the grey seemed to drain from the Korat's face as it was replaced by a bright red hue. Did this mean…?

A faint whisper in his ear confirmed it as Lucy said, _"Let me think about it."_

It rang in his head, even after Lucy left with Yashy and Chirpy in tow. She would think about it... A faint smile crossed his face.

That was all he needed for now.


End file.
